Reunion
by Ilex the Elder
Summary: Four years ago, Will Ketchum fled after discovering the shocking secret that his wife, Delia, and Samuel Oak were hiding. After chaos erupts in the Orange Islands, and as Delia's life hangs in the balance, Will returns... and a reunion between husband and
1. Chapter 1

For what seemed like the hundredth time, Professor Oak glanced at the flashing monitors above the hospital bed, looking for any signs of a response. And for the hundredth time, there was nothing there to give him hope; no change at all. With a sinking heart, he turned around to look at Delia, who lay unconscious in the hospital bed attached to the monitors.

"Why won't Mom wake up?" Ash worried as he clutched his mother's hand.

"Your mother has been though a lot, Ash," Professor Oak said gently.

"Professor Oak," Ash asked in a quavering voice. "Is my mom going to…"

Even though he had been thinking the same thing, he didn't want to alarm the boy.

"Ash, some of the finest doctors in the region work at this hospital. Your mother is in the best place she could be right now."

As they were speaking, the door of the hospital room slowly opened. Both Ash and Professor Oak turned around as the door creaked.

"Oh my God. Delia!"


	2. Chapter 2

Many years ago, Delia had been working as a research assistant at the Oak Pokémon Research Laboratory. During her tenure at the lab, Professor Oak's wife was tragically killed in a car accident. Delia had found him sobbing at his desk the day after the funeral. All he wanted was for someone to hold him, take away his pain, make him forget everything that had happened in the last three days. And that person had been Rose, but now she was gone…gone forever. 

But Delia was there. She had been fighting a growing attraction to her boss for some time, but now he needed her, wanted her. She took him in her arms, held him while he cried, comforted him, kissed him…and more. It wasn't until the next morning when they had realized what a horrible, horrible mistake they had made. 

Delia decided not to tell her husband. They had a good marriage and except for this one time, she had never been unfaithful to him. But her past came back to haunt her nine months later as the doctor explained to her why Will Ketchum couldn't be the father of her newborn son. 

Delia didn't tell her husband then, either. Why should he and their son have to suffer because she had made one mistake? 

But Professor Oak knew. When he first looked into the hospital crib and saw the dark-haired baby with the large brown eyes, a vague, uneasy feeling started forming in the pit of his stomach. His suspicions were confirmed when he tickled the baby's feet and saw that the second and third toes of the boy's left foot were exactly the same length….just like his own. Because Will had been there, he decided it was best to smile and keep silent. 

Delia kept her secret well hidden until the day when Ash was eight years old and had been hit by a car while riding his bike. Until the day she died, she would never forget the look on Will's face when the doctor at the emergency room told him that neither he nor Delia could be blood donors for Ash. As Will raged at the doctor, calling him incompetent and a liar, Delia knew what she had to do. And it would be one of the hardest things she would ever have to do. With a shaking hand, she dialed Professor Oak's number. 

"Professor Oak?"

"Hello, Delia." He heard the catch in her voice. "What's wrong? You sound upset."

"Ash. He's had an accident. He's at the hospital."

"Oh my God, is he all right? What happened?"

"He was hit by a car when he was riding his bike. He needs blood."

"I'll be happy to come down and donate as soon as I…"

She quickly cut him off. "You don't understand! You're the _only_ one who can donate blood for Ash! You…you're his…"

He then understood what she was saying. 

"Delia, I know."

She was shocked. "You…you know? But how?"

"That's not important now. I'll be down there as fast as I can. I'm leaving now."

As she hung up the phone, Delia felt sick, drained. 

When Professor Oak showed up at the hospital shortly thereafter and proved to be a perfect match with Ash's unusual blood type, Will quickly put two and two together. 

Three weeks after Ash was released from the hospital, Will announced that he was going away on a Pokémon training journey. That was nothing unusual; as a Pokémon trainer, Will often went away for weeks at a time. But this time, Delia knew he wasn't coming back.

Feeling responsible for their separation, Professor Oak kept his distance from Delia during the first few months after Will left. But as time passed and it became obvious that Will wasn't coming back, the two of them started to rekindle their friendship. In the nearly four years since then, they had become good friends. Professor Oak even fancied that he was falling in love with her. But since she was still legally married to Will, there was an unspoken line over which they would never cross. They weren't going to make the same mistake twice.


	3. Chapter 3

The day had started off uneventfully. Get up, get dressed, eat breakfast, take care of the Pokémon, read e-mail…typical morning. However, it was such a lovely August day that Professor Oak was unable to resist the urge to take a bicycle ride to the Ketchum house to see what Delia was doing. He found her tending to her vegetable garden with Mimie sweeping the front steps nearby. Their conversation was interrupted by a sudden shower, followed by, of all things, a brief snow squall. Something was definitely wrong; even Mimie could sense it. He quickly headed back to the lab to figure out what was going on with the crazy weather and the odd behavior of all the Pokémon in the area. He was still at his computer early that evening when the doorbell rang.

__

Wonder who that could be, he thought as he headed down the hallway. He wasn't expecting anyone.

He opened the door and was surprised to see Delia shivering on his doorstep. The snow that had started earlier that afternoon had returned and intensified.

"Delia, what on earth?" he exclaimed.

"Sorry to b-b-other you, but I w-wanted to see if y-you found out w-why the weather's b-been acting so 

strange all day." She hugged herself and stamped her feet in an attempt to stay warm as the wind whistled through the tree branches overhead.

"Goodness, don't stand out there in the cold, Delia! You'll get sick." He grabbed her arm and pulled her inside. 

"T-thanks." 

"Don't you have a heavy coat?" he asked as he struggled to shut the door against the blasting wind. The only outerwear she was wearing was her favorite light pink sweater.

"It's p-packed away in the attic. You d-don't expect to need a winter c-coat in the middle of August." Her teeth were chattering.

Professor Oak took her arm and led her into the living room. "You're absolutely freezing, Delia. Sit down there and I'll see if I can find a blanket for you." She sat down on the couch while he searched around the room for the blanket that normally lived on the back of the opposite couch. He found it in a heap on the floor, picked it up, and wrapped it around Delia. "There. Now I'll get you some hot tea."

Returning a few minutes later with a tray containing a teapot and two cups of tea, Professor Oak handed one to Delia and sat down on the opposite couch.

"That's much better. Thanks," Delia said as she took a sip of the hot tea. "Have you figured out why the Pokémon and the weather have been acting so strangely today?"

"No, but I was in the middle of analyzing a television report about the situation when you arrived. Apparently Pallet Town isn't the only place being affected by this strange phenomenon."

"It isn't?"

"No. Come on, I'll show you." 

While they were engrossed in the news report, they were startled as a window overhead blew out from the high winds raging outside. The transmission was then interrupted by a phone call from Professor Ivy, who was calling to report that the Pokémon at her laboratory and throughout the Orange Islands were acting strangely.

"The Orange Islands? But that's where Ash and his friends are," Delia said in alarm. 

Professor Ivy continued. "Professor, I really could use your expertise here. I've never seen the Pokémon in the Orange Islands behave like this." Her assistant, Brock, ran by screaming in the background. "Or the people here, for that matter."

"I'll do what I can to help, Professor Ivy."

"Good. I'll send a friend of mine over with a helicopter to pick you up early tomorrow morning."

"The weather's pretty rough here in Pallet Town, Professor Ivy. Perhaps your friend should wait until things have settled down here."

"Don't worry. My friend Jim is experienced in flying in rough conditions. Besides, with the way things are going, I don't think we have much time to wait."

"Agreed. I'll see you soon, Professor."

"I'm going with you," Delia announced as he turned off the computer.

"Delia, it's too dangerous, especially with the weather as bad as it is." He was already worried about being in a helicopter in this weather, but he wasn't going to let her risk her life as well.

"I don't care," Delia insisted. "Ash and his friends are in the Orange Islands and they may be in trouble."

"Delia, I'm sure they're fine. Ash is a rather resourceful boy." He started down the hall to the living room. Delia was at his heels.

"Ash is my son. _Our_ son."

Professor Oak whirled around. It was the first time she had brought up Ash's paternity since the day at the hospital nearly four years ago. In light of the aftermath, it had been a taboo subject between them since then.

"Please let me come with you," she pleaded. 

He was ready to tell her no, that he didn't want her risking her life by going on a dangerous journey, but then he saw the tears starting in her eyes. 

He sighed. "All right. I'll go call Professor Ivy and tell her to expect the two of us tomorrow morning."

Delia's face brightened. "Thank you, Professor."


	4. Chapter 4

"Professor Ivy said that her friend will be arriving tomorrow morning around four AM. Hopefully the weather will have cleared up since then."

Delia was gazing out the living room window at the snowstorm raging outside.

"Snow in August. It's just so unbelievable."

Professor Oak came up behind her. "Perhaps you'd better get some sleep. We're going to have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

"You're right. Thank you for everything." She brushed past him and went into the hallway.

He followed her into the hall. "Wait. Where do you think you're going?"

"Home," Delia said as she put her hand on the doorknob.

"I'm not letting you go out in that," Professor Oak said as he put his hand atop hers. "It's too dangerous for you to be outside on a night like tonight. What I meant was that you could sleep here tonight, and we can leave first thing tomorrow morning."

Delia gave him a skeptical look. "Sleep here?"

"You can sleep in my bedroom, and I'll stay out here on the sofa." 

"Oh, I hate to put you out like that, Professor."

"It's no trouble at all," he said as he led her back into the living room. "Besides, it will give us a chance to talk."

"Talk about what?" she asked as she sat back down on the sofa.

"About what you said earlier. About Ash. We've never really talked about what happened between us except for that time at the hospital."

"Oh," Delia said quietly. 

"Delia, have you ever told Ash about what happened between us?" Professor Oak asked as he poured her another cup of tea.

"No! You saw what happened when I told Will."

"Why didn't you tell Will about what happened between us sooner?"

"Because….because I didn't want him to suffer because of the mistake I had made. Up until then, I had never been unfaithful to him. I just wanted to forget about it and move on."

She started picking at the blanket that lay next to her.

"But then when Ash was born, I knew that I wouldn't be able to forget about it. When you showed up at the hospital to visit me, I was so afraid that you would figure out the truth."

"Actually, Delia, I did."

Delia looked up, shocked. "You knew? But how?"

"When I saw that Ash had dark hair, I started to get suspicious. But when I saw the toes, there was no doubt in my mind that I had fathered Ash."

"The toes?" Delia was puzzled.

"The second and third toes on his left foot. Haven't you ever noticed that they're the same length and not descending like those on his right?"

"Well, yes, but I didn't ever really think anything of it. It's nothing that would bother him."

"It's an unusual little genetic quirk found in the Oak males. I have the same thing, and so did my father before me."

"But if you knew, then why didn't you say anything?"

"Because I could tell that you were afraid that I would. And it wasn't my place, really."

Delia sighed. "I know. I was afraid that if I told Will that it would ruin our marriage…and it did." 

"Has Will ever tried to contact you or Ash since he left?"

"No," she said sadly.

"Four years is a long time, Delia. Don't you think that it's time that you moved on?"

"I've thought about filing for divorce, but I don't know how well Ash would take it. I think he still believes that his dad is on an extended Pokémon journey and will eventually come back. But I know he's not," she sniffled. "One little mistake and Ash has to be the one to suffer for it." She bit her lip and looked down at the floor, trying hard not to cry.

"Oh, Delia. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you upset." He got up from his couch and sat down next to her. To his surprise, she put her head on his shoulder and started crying softly. 

"Delia, please don't cry. It's all right," he reassured her as patted her back gently. To his astonishment, she lifted her head and kissed him. His eyes opened wide as he pulled away. The electricity between them had been unmistakable.

"Delia, what are you doing?"

"You're right. It is time to move on." She kissed him again, and again he pulled back.

"Delia, that's not exactly what I…" She silenced him again with a kiss. This time he gave up fighting her and started kissing her back, something he had been wanting to do for a long, long time. 

"I've been so lonely since Will left," she whispered between kisses. "And now that Ash is gone on his Pokémon journey, there's been no one around for me to talk to except you."

"What about Mimie?" he asked as he started working his way down her neck.

"I don't think Mimie kisses as well as you do," she giggled as his lips continued their journey downward. 


	5. Chapter 5

"…and I believe that this strange meteorological phenomenon may be directly related to the aberrant Pokémon behavior." Professor Ivy was in the middle of giving a television interview when a helicopter landed at the small Valencia Island airport. "Excuse me, gentlemen. My colleague has arrived." She went over to the helicopter where a gray-haired man and an auburn-haired woman were stepping out of the door.

"Professor Ivy! It's good to see you again."

"Hello, Professor Oak." The two shook hands. Raising an eyebrow, Professor Ivy then turned to Professor Oak's pretty companion. 

"This is Delia Ketchum," Professor Oak said as the two women shook hands. "Her son and his friends are on a journey in the Orange Islands, and we're concerned about their safety."

"Ketchum?" Professor Ivy mused. "Oh, yes, one of Brock's friends. I met your son a few months ago. Speaking of which…"

"Professor Oak! Mrs. Ketchum!" Brock appeared from behind the helicopter and came running up them.

"Hello, Brock. Good to see you again," Professor Oak said, shaking the boy's hand.

"Oh, Brock. How are you?" Delia asked as she gave him a quick hug.

"Oh, I'm fine now," he blushed. 

"Brock's been a great help to me in my research." Professor Ivy said as she laid a hand on his shoulder. "I don't know how I got along without him before."

"We'd better get going, Professor Ivy. The weather's getting worse," Professor Oak noted as the snow started blowing again. He and Delia climbed back into the warmth of the helicopter.

"Now Brock, do you have the list of instructions I gave you? I'm counting on you to keep the lab running smoothly until I get back."

"Don't worry, Professor Ivy. You can count on me!" Brock gave her a mock salute.

"You haven't disappointed me yet, Brock," Professor Ivy smiled as she turned to climb into the helicopter. "I'll see you when I get back." The two television reporters immediately followed her inside.

"Wait? What are they doing here?" Professor Oak asked as the reporters took the seats that had been his and Delia's on the way down.

"Are you kidding?" said the reporter with the microphone, "This is the biggest story of the century and the Orange Network will be there to carry it live! Let's get the camera hooked up," he told the other reporter.

Professor Oak sighed and moved to the back of the helicopter. The seatbelt in the seat next to Delia's was broken, so he ended up having to sit next to Professor Ivy instead. Next thing he knew, a television camera was being shoved in his face.

"With me are Professor Samuel Oak and Professor Felina Ivy to discuss the strange weather phenomenon that's happening throughout the globe!"

--- 

Once the interview was over, the wind buffeted the helicopter mercilessly. Below them, they could see hundreds, thousands of Pokémon in the water watching the battle for domination rage among Moltres, Zapdos, Articuno, and Lugia. As the four legendary birds fought, the helicopter gave a sickening shake.

"Everyone get in your seats now and fasten your seatbelts," the pilot's voice crackled over the intercom. "We're going to attempt a landing on the island below."

Suddenly, the helicopter plunged out of control. 

"We're going down!"


	6. Chapter 6

"Everyone all right?" Professor Ivy asked as she rubbed her neck.

"My back's a little sore, but I think I'm all right," Professor Oak said as he unfastened his seat belt and leaned over the seat in front of him. "Mrs. Ketchum?"

Delia had undone her seatbelt and was rubbing her stomach. "A little shaken up, but I'm okay."

They overheard the two reporters cursing because their camera had been broken in the crash.

Professor Ivy stood up. "I'll go see if Jim is all right." She hurried to the cockpit to check on her friend.

"Where are we?" Delia asked as she looked out the window.

"I don't know, Delia. Let's go take a look around." Professor Oak helped her up as Professor Ivy returned from the front of the helicopter.

"Jim said that he's going to stay here and try to radio for help. I'll come with you."

The three stepped out of the damaged helicopter and saw that the rear propeller had been torn off in the crash.

"We're pretty lucky to be alive," Professor Oak commented as he surveyed the damage.

"But for how long?" Delia asked as she shivered in the biting wind. 

"Look down there," Professor Ivy said as she pointed to a ledge below them. Through the blowing snow, they could barely make out a group of people watching the birds fighting overhead.

"Ash!" Delia exclaimed. "Come on, we've got to get down there!" 

--- 

As the three of them made the treacherous descent down the side of the mountain, they saw Lugia fall and waterspouts rise out of the ocean as lightning crackled overhead. 

__

This is how it ends, thought Professor Oak as he watched the scene. He looked over at Delia, who was having a hard time trying to climb down the rocks. He was having a hard time, too, but that was to be expected because he was older than she was. But Delia seemed to be panting from the effort and every couple of minutes she would stop and grab her side.

"Delia? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she gasped. "We've got to get to Ash!" 

At least there was some comfort in knowing that if they were going to die, at least he would die with her.

--- 

As they neared the bottom of the cliff, the snow stopped and the storm clouds parted. As Lugia rose from the ocean, the ground beneath them suddenly turned green and a warm wind started to melt the snow around them. By the time they reached the bottom to where Ash and his friends were, the weather was calm; it was almost as if nothing had happened. Delia then proceeded to chew out Ash for scaring her to death.

"…because every day you're my hero."

Ash smiled. "Thanks, Mom."

"Come on! We've got to get back to Pallet Town and tell the other researchers!" Professor Oak and Professor Ivy took off running in the opposite direction. Out of the corner of his eye, he had spotted a small plane circling overhead.


	7. Chapter 7

Soon everyone was on the plane heading back to Pallet Town. The reporters had decided to stay behind to interview some of the island's residents about the events that had just transpired.

While Ash and his friends chatted noisily up front, Professor Oak and Delia sat together in the back of the plane. He was eagerly writing up his notes on the phenomenon they had just witnessed.

"This has all been so amazing. My hand can barely keep up with everything that I want to write…Delia, are you all right?" He noticed that she was holding her stomach.

"It's just a little stomach ache. I thought it would go away, but it doesn't seem to be."

"Maybe you'd better lie down," Professor Oak suggested. "I'll move over to the other seat so you can stretch out."

"Thanks," she said as he gathered up his notes and moved across the aisle. He tried to concentrate on his work, but every few seconds he found himself glancing over at Delia, who appeared to be having a hard time getting comfortable. After a couple of minutes, he threw down his paper and pencil and went over to her side.

"Where are you hurting, Delia?" 

"Here." She pointed to a spot just below her ribs. "Right where the seat belt dug into me when we landed." 

The moment he laid his hand on the spot where she had indicated, she winced in pain and pulled away from his touch.

"Sorry," he said apologetically as he quickly pulled his hand away. "I won't do that again." Concerned, he laid his hand on her forehead and was shocked at how cold she felt.

A warning bell started ringing in the back of Professor Oak's head. This wasn't just a simple stomachache that Delia was suffering from.

"Let me get you a blanket." He hurried to the storage area at the back of the plane and started rummaging through the cabinets. His haste had attracted the attention of Professor Ivy, who joined him at the back of the plane.

"What are you looking for, Professor?" she asked as he threw open another cabinet door.

"A blanket…aha!" he exclaimed as he found one and pulled it out of the cabinet.

"Are you cold?"

"No, it's for Mrs. Ketchum. She's not feeling well. See if you can find a first-aid kit," he said as he brushed past her and returned to Delia's side where she lay shivering. Her eyes briefly opened as he placed the blanket on top of her.

"There. Is that any better?"

She nodded then closed her eyes.

Professor Oak reached under the blanket and gave her hand a quick squeeze. He then slid his fingers over until they lay atop the artery in her wrist. His stomach contracted in a tight ball as he felt her pulse; it was rapid, weak…so weak that he could barely feel it. He quickly stood up and nearly knocked over Professor Ivy, who had found the first-aid kit.

"I found the..."

Professor Oak quickly cut her off. "Stay with her," he ordered as he ran to the front of the plane.

"Hey, Ash," Tracey said. "Why is Professor Oak in such a hurry?"

"I don't know," Ash said as they watched Professor Oak enter the cockpit.

"Professor Oak, what are you doing back here?" the pilot asked in surprise.

"Where's the closest hospital?" 

"Hospital? What's wrong?" 

"Mrs. Ketchum is ill, bleeding internally. We've got to get her to a hospital now!"

The pilot looked out the window. "We're over Mandarin Island now. There's a hospital there."

"Good. Land this plane now," Professor Oak ordered as he turned and hurried back down the aisle to Delia. Ash caught the sleeve of his lab coat as he flew past.

"Professor Oak, what's going on?"

"Is everything okay?" Misty asked.

"Hey, we're landing on Mandarin Island," Tracey noted as the plane started to descend. 

Professor Oak didn't want to alarm Ash by telling him that his mother lay dying in the back of the plane. "Ash, your mother's not feeling well. I asked the pilot to land so we could have a doctor take a look at her."

"Doctor?" Ash exclaimed. Ash shoved past Professor Oak and ran to the back of the plane where his mother lay. Pushing Professor Ivy out of the way, Ash knelt by his mother's side.

"Mom?"

Delia slowly opened her eyes. "Ash," she murmured. "Just a stomachache…." Her voice trailed off as she shut her eyes again.

"Everyone take your seats and fasten your seat belts," the pilot announced. "We'll be landing on Mandarin Island in five minutes. Officer Jenny has just informed me that an ambulance will meet us there."

"Ambulance?" Ash exclaimed, horrified.

"Ash, get in your seat," Professor Oak ordered.

"No! I want to stay with Mom!" Ash said frantically.

Professor Oak picked up Ash by the arm and pulled the terrified boy to his feet. "Ash, get in your seat now! I'm not going to have two Ketchums ending up in the hospital today!"

Frightened by Professor Oak's outburst, Ash returned to his seat and buried his head in his hands. Misty patted his back as he wept. Trying not to hurt her, Professor Oak gently lifted Delia's head and slid into the seat underneath her. After he fastened his seat belt, he cradled her head in his lap and stroked her hair.

__

Hang on Delia, just a few minutes more…please.


	8. Chapter 8

The group maintained a solemn vigil in the hospital waiting room. Ash sat slumped in a chair, flanked on either side by Misty and Tracey, who were murmuring words of reassurance to their friend. Professor Oak sat in the chair opposite Ash and stared at the door to the surgery suite where Delia lay. Professor Ivy had gone down the hall to call Brock.

__

God, please don't let her die, Professor Oak silently prayed, even though her knew that the chances of her surviving the surgery were slim. 

__

I never had the chance to tell her how much I loved her. I never even got the chance to say goodbye.

Professor Oak looked over at Ash. What would become of the boy if Delia died? Will Ketchum had made it quite clear that he didn't want to be part of his son's life when he abandoned his family. Professor Oak didn't think that Ash didn't have any other relatives close by…no aunts, cousins, nor grandparents to take him in. 

Feeling Professor Oak's eyes on him, Ash raised his head and ran his hand through his hair.

Something familiar about that gesture struck Professor Oak.

__

My God, he looks just like me. The hair, the eyes…everything.

At that moment there was no doubt in his mind. If the worst did happen and Delia didn't survive, he would adopt Ash and raise him as his own. After all, the boy was his own.

"Professor Oak, how long do you think Mom will be in there?"

Professor Oak sighed. "I don't know, Ash. It depends upon how extensive her injuries are. The doctors will do everything they can for her." He stood up. "Do you want anything to eat?"

"No. I'm going to stay here with Mom."

"Misty? Tracey? Do you need anything?"

"No thanks, Professor," Misty replied.

"I'm okay," said Tracey.

"I'll be back in a minute," Professor Oak said as he left and walked down the hall to the vending machines. On the way, he nearly bumped into Professor Ivy, who was holding two cups of coffee. 

"Any news?" she asked as she handed him one.

"No. How's Brock?"

"Taking it pretty hard, but that's to be expected." Professor Ivy leaned against the wall and sipped her coffee. "So how long have you and Mrs. Ketchum been involved?"

The question caught him off guard. "Uh...we've been neighbors for years."

"I don't mean that. How long have you been in love with her?"

"Is it that obvious?"

Professor Ivy smiled. "Women can sense these things, you know. I'm glad for you, really. I was afraid that I had scared you off of women for good." The two of them had briefly dated several years ago, just long enough to realize that they weren't compatible.

"Oh, Felina," he sighed. "I never had a chance to tell her how I felt about her."

"I think she knows, Samuel. Oh…" She had noticed that a woman in surgical scrubs had exited the surgery and was heading toward the waiting room where Ash and his friends were.

"Come on." The two of them raced down the hall to the waiting area.

The doctor entered the waiting room and addressed Professor Oak. "Mr. Ketchum?" 

With amazement, Professor Oak realized that the doctor thought that he was Delia's husband.

"Here, that's me!" Ash spoke up. "Is my mom okay?"

Everyone started speaking at once.

"Is Mrs. Ketchum all right?"

"Is she awake?"

"How's her condition? Is she conscious?"

"What happened in there?"

The doctor held up her hands, motioning for silence. She turned and addressed Ash.

"Your mother lost a lot of blood." At one point during the surgery, Delia's blood pressure had dropped so low that her heart had briefly stopped. "But fortunately, we were able to find the source of the bleeding and stopped it. She's in recovery right now."

"Can I see her?" Ash asked impatiently.

"She's still asleep and probably will be for a while. Why don't you try to get some rest, and I'll let you know the minute she's out of recovery," the doctor told Ash sympathetically.

"Thanks, Doc," Ash said, fighting back tears of relief.

--- 

Professor Oak felt his heart sink at the sight of the tall, brown-haired man that had entered Delia's hospital room.

"Dad! Dad!" Ash ran to his father and hugged him. "Officer Jenny found you, just like she said she would!" Ash started crying.

"It's okay, son. I'm here now," Will Ketchum said as he hugged his son. "I was over in the Ilex Forest in Johto when I got her message about your mom. Officer Jenny from Azalea Town found me." He went over to the bed where Delia lay.

"How…how is she?"

"She's in bad shape, Will. The doctors are doing everything they can for her." Professor Oak's voice had suddenly taken on a harsh edge.

__

Why the hell do you care? You abandoned her and your son four years ago.

"But now that you're here, everything will be all right," Ash smiled at his father.

"If you'll excuse me, I'll go talk to the doctor about her condition." Professor Oak got up from his chair and left the room.

Once outside the room, he slammed his fist into the wall. 

__

How dare he? How dare he show up like this after all these years? 

As far as he was concerned, Will Ketchum had given up on his claim to Delia's heart the day he had left her. But like it or not, he was still her husband. And Ash seemed happy to have his father back.

The door opened and Will stepped into the hall.

"I guess I shouldn't be too surprised to see you here."

Professor Oak frowned and said nothing.

"Ash told me about how you saved Delia's life. I want to thank you for that."

"You're welcome," he said coldly.

"Look, I know I made a big mistake in running out on Delia and Ash. I was just so angry at her for not telling me the truth about you two. And having to look at my son every day and realize that he's not really mine…I just couldn't deal with it."

"_You_ couldn't deal with it? Did you ever stop and think about how hard it was for _her_? She…we made one mistake a long time ago, and you punish her and Ash by leaving them!" 

"I know, I know. I was wrong. I don't think I'll ever be able to make it up to them. But I want to try."

Professor Oak felt like the floor had dropped out from underneath him. He knew what Will was going to say next.

"Seeing Dee lying there in that hospital bed, I…I didn't realize until now that I still love her."

__

But I love her, too! I won't let you take her away from me!

"And Ash, I can't believe how much he's grown. I almost didn't recognize him."

"Four years is a long time, Will. Things have changed since then."

Will saw the challenge in Professor Oak's eyes.

"Dee is still my wife, Professor Oak. And even though Ash may not be my biological son, he is still my son." 

Suddenly, Ash opened the door.

"Dad! Professor! Mom's waking up!" Ash said excitedly as he hurried back into the room. The two men followed and stood at the foot of the bed. Delia stirred and her eyelids fluttered.

"Ash…" she murmured weakly.

"I'm here, Mom," Ash said as he grasped her hand.

"Samuel…" Delia continued.

__

Take that, Will Ketchum, Professor Oak thought as he reached for Delia's other hand.

"I'm here, too, Delia."

"Dad's here, too, Mom." Ash said as he nodded in Will's direction.

Delia's eyes opened. "Will?" She gasped in shock. "Oh my God."

Professor Oak saw her heart rate jump on the monitor. The last thing in the world now she needed was another shock to her system. At that moment, the nurse on duty entered the room. She had noticed the activity on the monitor at the nurse's station, too.

"Hello, Mrs. Ketchum," she said as she started examining Delia. "How are you feeling?"

"Why don't we let the nurse finish her examination in private?" Professor Oak said, motioning to Will and Ash. "We'll be back in a few minutes," he told Delia as the three of them left and went outside to the adjacent waiting area.

Ash hugged his father again. "Mom's gonna be all right!"

"Yes, son. Looks like she's going to be just fine. We all are." Will flashed a triumphant look in Professor Oak's direction. "Why don't we get something to eat? Do you still like hamburgers and chocolate milkshakes?"

"Yeah!" Ash grinned.

"Why don't we go see if the cafeteria has any? I have so much to tell you that I don't know where to begin."

"Okay!"

"I'll go get the elevator," Will said as he started down the hall.

Ash turned to Professor Oak. "Are you coming, too?"

"That's all right, Ash. You go on ahead." He didn't particularly feel like being sociable.

"Isn't it great, Professor Oak?" Ash beamed. "My dad's back! Now we can be a family again!" Ash then ran down the hall to join his father in the elevator.

Professor Oak watched as the doors shut and the two disappeared. 

__

Damn you, Will Ketchum.

If it had been just Delia, he unquestionably would've fought for her. But the problem was that it wasn't just Delia. He had Ash to consider. The boy was obviously overjoyed to have his father back. And like it or not, Will did have a point; Delia was still his wife and Ash was his son. 

__

Damn you to hell, Will Ketchum.


	9. Chapter 9

A month later, Professor Oak was going through his normal morning routine. He had just finished releasing the last Pokémon from its Poké ball into the fields surrounding his laboratory. As the Sandslash sped away, Professor Oak sighed and sat back on a large rock under the huge Pokéberry tree. It was a beautiful September morning, clear and sunny. But he couldn't enjoy it. He hadn't been able to enjoy much of anything lately. If it hadn't been for his research and his Pokémon, he probably wouldn't have been able to go on. He had thrown himself into his work; anything to forget the past month's events.

As he sighed and leaned against the tree's massive trunk, he started to doze off. The warmth of the sunshine on his face was making him drowsy.

As he dozed, he could've sworn that he heard Delia's voice.

"Samuel?"

He opened his eyes. It wasn't a dream. Delia was coming up the hill.

Her face was serious. "We need to talk."

"All right." He moved over and she sat down next to him on the rock.

"Why haven't you been by to see me?" The pain in her voice was evident.

"Under the circumstances, I didn't think it was a good idea. Three's a crowd, you know," he said with a bitter laugh.

"It won't be that way for much longer."

Surprised, he whirled around to face her.

"Will's leaving."

"Oh," he said, cautiously optimistic.

"I tried. For Ash's sake, I really tried to make it work. We both tried, but we've changed so much in these past four years. Will and I are two different people now," Delia said sadly.

Professor Oak said nothing.

Delia continued. "We're going to get a divorce. I hate to think how Ash will take it, but I think he sees that we're not getting along. But Will promised that he would try to be there for him." She smiled. "Now that Ash is a Pokémon trainer, Will said that he would take him with him on his next Pokémon journey."

"Ash will like that, I'm sure."

"There's another thing, too," Delia said quietly, looking down at the ground. "Two days ago I had a miscarriage."

"Oh God, Delia! Are you all right?"

"The doctor says I'm okay physically, but emotionally…" Her voice trailed off as she started to choke back tears. "The baby…it was yours. Ours." She started to cry.

Professor Oak felt as if someone had knocked the wind out of him. 

"I…I had just figured out that I was pregnant the day before it happened," she cried.

"Oh, Delia," he whispered as he took her in his arms. As she sobbed against his shoulder, he found himself shedding a couple of tears for the child they had lost. They remained there for a long time, holding each other and mourning the loss of their baby. 

When she finally stopped crying, Delia slowly pulled away from his embrace. "I really liked the idea of Ash having a little brother or sister to play with," she said with a small, sad smile.

"Don't give up hope, Delia," he said as he wiped a tear away from her eye.

"You don't know how long I've been wanting you to hold me, to touch me," she sighed as she put her hand atop his. "I even dreamed about it. Every time Will tried to touch me, all I could think about was you."

"_Tried_ to?" With joy, he realized what she was saying. "Then that means that you and Will didn't…" 

"No! How could I make love to another man when it's you that I love?"

"I love you so much, Delia. I've loved you for years," he said as he kissed her. "I thought I had lost you forever…first on the plane, and then when Will turned up again."

"I wish I could forget everything that happened this past month and start over," Delia said as she leaned back against the tree and put her head on his shoulder.

"We can start over, Delia. A new beginning for both of us."

She closed her eyes and relaxed against him.

"I wish we could make love now, but I'm still healing from the miscarriage."

"That's all right. I'll wait until you're ready. I'll wait as long as it takes."

Together they watched the sun peek out from a stray cloud overhead. It looked as if it would be a beautiful day after all.

THE END


End file.
